


Padfoot & Prongs Coffee

by adavison



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Clothing Crisis, Desi James Potter, F/M, Fluff, Good Peter Pettigrew, M/M, Mentions of Cancer, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Peter Pettigrew/Mary Macdonald, Minor Injuries, Remus Doesn't Know Shit About Medicine But Steps In Like A BAMF, Vegetarians & Vegans, minor blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24221665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adavison/pseuds/adavison
Summary: A stolen almond milk latte leads Remus to trying Padfoot & Prongs Coffee, a new vegan coffee shop not too far from campus. Luckily, a perfectly brewed latte isn't the only thing he'll discover there.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 44
Kudos: 312





	1. The Latte Thief

**Author's Note:**

> This fic grew out of a prompt on my 100 Days of Drabble challenge that was begging to be a Coffee Shop AU. I'm not sure how long this fic will be, but I will be posting regular updates until the story is complete. 
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr for updates [aedwritesfic](https://aedwritesfic.tumblr.com/)
> 
> This fic is due in part my beautiful friend and beta [meditationsinemergencies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/meditationsinemergencies/profile). Go read all of her stuff!

“...then I picked up your coffee by mistake,” the man drawled, somehow looking down his nose at Remus even though he was much shorter. “I guess they can make you another.” The man snapped his fingers at the young barista. “You there—”

“Bridget,” the giggling girl supplied. She was practically salivating over the man. Sure, he was aesthetically pleasing, golden hair, charming smile, but Remus could tell right away that he was a smarmy bastard.

“Bridget,” the man simpered, “would you be a dear and remake this man’s coffee?”

“Latte with almond milk,” Remus supplied.

The girl looked a bit embarrassed, “Just used the last of it in that one, sorry. We have soy and cow’s milk.”

“Allergic to both,” Remus groaned. 

“Oh, tough luck, man,” the coffee thief said, taking out an honest-to-god money clip and handing him a tenner. “Maybe the Pret downtown has that faux milk. Ciao!” 

Remus just stood there stunned as the man flounced away.  _ All I wanted was an apology _ , he thought staring down at the money. He needed caffeine.  _ Needed _ it. After having worked a double shift the day before, he pulled an all-nighter to finish a thirty page paper on Proust. If he was going to stay awake until he got out of classes, he needed his almond milk latte. 

He whipped out his phone and found there was another coffee shop not too far from campus. It was on a sidestreet he’d never had reason to go down before, but it wasn’t a chain and the website said the shop was vegan, so he figured that he might as well try it and the cash that the latte thief gave him would also cover a pastry. Remus hoped they had chocolate croissants.

A few minutes later found Remus entering Padfoot & Prongs Coffee, a shop that had clearly been renovated from a former garage. The owners had seemed to embrace the theme, decorating the inside with antique car parts, vintage ads for motor oil and equipment. Remus had obviously missed the morning rush, but several tables were occupied and the smell of freshly brewed coffee permeated the air. What caught his attention, however, was the man standing behind the counter. 

The man was beautiful. Tall and broad-chested. His sleeveless Queen t-shirt showed off well-toned arms and hinted at fantastic pecs. His jet black hair was pulled up in a messy bun and just begged to be released from its tie so it could cascade down the man’s shoulders. But his eyes...Remus found himself enraptured by piercing grey eyes that he knew he could drown in.

“Hey, mate, what can I do you for?” The low gravelly voice caused a coil of desire to tighten in Remus’ abdomen. 

“Um…” he stuttered, “you wouldn’t by chance be able to make a latte with almond milk?”

The man grinned and Remus felt his knees go weak. “Sure thing. You look like you’ve had a rough morning. Want a chocolate croissant while you wait? I just pulled them out of the oven.”

Remus nodded. _ Marry me _ , he thought. The man grinned again and slid a fresh pastry onto a plate, indicating for Remus to grab a table. 

The first bite of the flakey, buttery, chocolaty confection had Remus stifling a moan. It may have been the exhaustion talking, but he was one hundred per cent certain that this was the single most delicious thing he had ever tasted in his life.

The hot barista dropped off a mug so large Remus thought he could have drowned himself in and threw him a wink before heading back to the counter. Remus flushed and brought the latte to his mouth. He had thought too soon. This latte was the nectar of the gods. There was no way something that good could be legal. 

Something white on the table caught his eye. A piece of receipt paper had been placed under his mug. On it, in an elegant cursive script was written: 

Hi, I’m Sirius

07123 555555

X

Remus felt his whole body warm as a smile spread across his face. He sent a silent ‘thank you’ to the latte thief in Pret. Today was going to be a good day.


	2. Soulmate at Table Seven

“Prongs! Prongs! Prongs! Prongs! Prongs!” Sirius nearly shouted as he rushed into the tiny kitchen of Padfoot & Prongs Coffee, having shucked his cool demeanour as soon as the swinging door shut. He grabbed his best friend around the middle and spun the taller man around in a circle.

“Ugh, get off. Don’t touch me. I’m trying to ice some buns!” James complained, but his hazel eyes shone with amusement. “The fuck’s gotten into you?”

Sirius groaned and set him back down but couldn’t rid himself of the dopey grin plastered across his face. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, but his excitement got the better of him and he began bouncing on the balls of his feet. “My soulmate is drinking an almond milk latte at table seven.” 

James rolled his eyes. “Pads, you can’t possibly know that this bloke’s your soulmate after just serving him coffee.”

Sirius gave him a hard glare, one he was sure could curdle milk, but had very little effect on his friend--such were the pitfalls of being best mates with someone since you were eleven. “One word,” he glowered, “Lily.”

James threw up his hands in defeat. “Fine, fine. You talk to him? Get his number? Is he even gay?”

Sirius blushed, “Yes. No, but I gave him mine. And probably?”

“Asking him what he wanted to drink isn’t talking to him.”

“Well, I could barely speak in the face of such beauty!” he defended. “Just go look at him and you’ll see what I mean.”

James groaned as he was steered out of the kitchen door. As they exited the back room, James stopped short as they watched Sirius’ supposed soulmate literally sweep Lily, who had just walked into the shop, off her feet in a tight hug and proceeded to kiss her on the cheek. 

“Well, this is awkward,” Sirius murmured wondering what the fuck his best mate’s fiancee was doing looking so chummy with his soon to be soulmate.


	3. Moony

Remus grinned and hugged the petite redhead tightly before setting her back down. It had been years since they had last seen each other, but he knew that he would recognize that smile and those forest green eyes anywhere.

“Moony!” she squealed, “I haven’t seen you since that Christmas at Marsden.”

He cringed inwardly at the nickname and instantly his mind flashed back to their first meeting: Remus had been cooped up inside the ward for ages. Although very ill, he was having one of his better days. Unfortunately, it had been raining its arse off for the past week so going outside was a non-sequitur. He had already finished all of his books and the few he had nicked from the ward's library. So, he turned to his new favourite game of annoying the new girl's bitch of a sister. 

The new girl, Lily, was small but a bit of a firecracker unless her older sister was around. The older girl was constantly complaining about having to go to hospital when she wasn't even the one who was ill. She would steal Lily's ice lollies and tell Lily that she looked ugly without her hair. Remus had finally had enough. He and Lily might not have been friends, yet, but cancer kids stuck together. 

In a flash of childhood brilliance, he ran toward the girl's bed, skidding to a stop on his socked feet, and yelled at the sister, "Hey, fart face! Stop being such a meanie!" promptly dropped his trousers, and mooned her.

Lily dissolved into a fit of giggles while her sister shrieked in outrage, "Stop!"

"You can’t make me," he taunted, shaking his pasty arse at her.

“What are you? Five?” the bitch asked.

"Six on Saturday," he said proudly as he pulled his trousers back up.

The bitch huffed and stormed out of the room mumbling something about finding her parents. When Lily had finally gotten control of her laughter she pulled Remus onto her bed where they bonded over their mutual love of books and movies and sweets. The moniker "Moony" had been formed that day and stuck through their years of hospital visits and treatments.

Now, standing in the middle of his new favourite coffee shop, reunited with his childhood best friend, and the number of the most beautiful man he had ever seen, Remus felt for the first time in a long time that things were looking up. 

"Fancy meeting you here," he grinned.

"My fiance owns the place" she admitted with a blush. Something at the counter caught her eye and she smiled, "Speak of the devil."

Remus turned his head and saw Hot Barista--Sirius--standing behind a lanky man with wire-rimmed glasses and hair that stood on end looking like its owner had received an electric shock. He smirked a bit at the sight of Sirius’ cool demeanour having slipped away to reveal a man who looked like a shy but excitable puppy.

The next thing he knew, Lily had grabbed his hand and hauled him over to meet the two men. Although he smiled, was polite, and was sure he was going to like her fiance, Remus couldn’t tear his gaze away from eyes like pools of cool grey starlight. He was absolutely done for.


	4. 🌜Hot Moony🌛

Sirius sat on his sofa, cocooned in his second favourite blanket--his favourite having been declared by James to be too ugly for public consumption and banished to his bedroom. This grey and white striped king-sized monstrosity was just the right balance of fuzzy and sophisticated. Lily had even found throw pillows in a similar enough pattern that the blanket felt like a cosy addition to the room and not something Sirius used mostly as a comfort object when he didn’t feel like hiding away on his side of the flat. 

The Darkness playlist he had made several years back was playing on shuffle and he quietly hummed along while scrolling through Remus’ Instagram doing his best not to accidentally like any posts. It was bad enough that he hadn’t been able to form a coherent sentence around the man once Lily officially introduced them or that the man had rushed off to class soon after, but Remus still hadn’t texted him. 

Had he completely blown his shot? He had been so cool when Remus first came into the shop, but then he had witnessed the man nearly have a full-blown foodgasm over the croissant and all suaveness (was that even a word?) flew out the window. Sirius had just barely kept his cool long enough to slip Remus his number along with the latte. But finding out that Lily had known the man all along and never once said anything about having a hot gay friend tipped him over the edge. 

Luckily, there weren’t more than a handful of Remus Lupin’s on social, so Sirius found him rather easily and was able to scroll through the man’s public life freely. He couldn’t find anything going back more than five years--not even a MySpace--but if he had thought he had been in love before, seeing pictures and things of interest to Remus had him falling even further down that rabbit hole. 

“Scootch!” James demanded, plopping down beside him and trying with little success to wrench a corner of the blanket into his lap. “Ugh, you should share. You’re such a blanket hog!”

Sirius snorted and moved to tuck the blanket more firmly around himself.  “Leave me alone and stop being so selfish. I know for a fact that you have blankets in your room.”

“But they’re all the way over there,” the man whined.

With a grunt, Sirius unwrapped a bit of the blanket and tossed it onto his friend who immediately took it and snuggled into his side. James had always been a very tactile person. The two of them had often shared a bed at school those first few years. The pair were close, practically brothers and now business partners, too. Unfortunately, this closeness translated into James becoming something of a mind-reader whenever it came to Sirius. 

“Why hasn’t he texted me yet?” he finally whispered into the mop James called hair.

“Because he’s a grad student doing grad student things?” James supplied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Sirius sighed, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just-”

His phone chirped. In his haste to pick up the mobile, Sirius accidentally dropped it right into his mug of lukewarm tea. He swore and fished the device out of the mug, silently praying to whatever technology gods existed that his phone still worked. Sirius quickly dried it off against his jeans, took a deep breath and clicked on the messaging app. 

Hi Sirius,

It was really nice to meet you. Sorry, for the delay, I had class and then fell asleep. 

This is Remus btw.

Sirius’ face lit up like a Christmas Tree. His heart raced a million kilometres a minute, and he could feel a pink tinge bloom across his neck and creep to the tips of his ears. Before he could think better of it, Sirius saved Remus’ number as “🌜Hot Moony🌛” and fired off a message:

Hey! Nice to meet you too. Would you like to meet me for a drink?


	5. What the Fuck Does One Even Wear to a Wine Bar?

“Pete!” Remus called as he rummaged through his closet. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. What the actual fuck am I doing?” he moaned. 

After sitting through three lectures, Remus returned home and promptly collapsed in his bed. He hadn’t intended to sleep for more than an hour, but when he woke, the sun had already set. Emptying the pockets of his cardigan, which he had slept in, he smiled when he pulled out the bit of paper containing Sirius’ number. He really had meant to text the man earlier in the day, but exhaustion had put that on hold until now.

The response had been almost immediate and he somehow found himself saying yes to join Sirius at a wine bar.  _ What the fuck does one even wear to a wine bar?  _

“Peter, what the fuck does one even wear to a wine bar?” he whined as his flatmate entered his room.

The pair had met during their second year at uni and became fast friends. Although they had little in common academically speaking, Peter was a dependable bloke who could always make you laugh and made the best bacon sandwiches this side of the Atlantic. 

“Do I look like someone who goes to wine bars?” Pete asked as he leaned against the doorframe. 

“But you went with Mary that one time, right?” 

Remus had started to get a bit frantic. He was supposed to meet Sirius in two hours, which meant that he needed to leave his flat in twenty minutes if he wanted to get through the traffic at the tube station and get to the bar at least five minutes early.

“I’ll be honest, mate,” Peter confessed, “she was wearing this dress, and her tits looked fantastic. I barely remember anything else before we got home that night.”

Remus shuddered a bit at the memory of his flatmate and Mary Macdonald’s very loud and enthusiastic shagging. After unsuccessfully trying to drown out their night of passion, Remus had splurged on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. It was the best one hundred quid he ever spent.

“Why don’t you just check out the bar’s website or Insta and get an idea from that?”

“Ugh, you’re marvellous,” he crowed, smacking a wet kiss to the top of his friend’s head.

A quick check of his phone sent Remus into yet another tizzy. 

“Fuck, this place looks kind of nice. Do I wear a tie?”

“Do you own a tie?” was Peter’s quick reply.

Remus scrubbed a hand across his face and quietly admitted, “Yes, but I don’t know how to tie one.”

“ You’re kidding me?! Mr-I’m-only-twenty-four-but-I-dress-like-an-eighty-year-old-professor doesn’t know how to tie a tie?”

“Shush,” he clucked, “my mum never taught me.”

“Why would your mum teach you?” Peter may have been a good bloke, but he could be utterly dense sometimes.

“Well, Dad was already gone by the time clip-ons got to be pathetic and we were in and out of hospital so much that she never found the right time,” Remus huffed in one breath. He had long since gotten past the issues in his upbringing in relation to his father, but he still didn’t really enjoy talking about it.

“Anyway,” he continued, holding up two ties to the button-down shirt he had previously pulled off the hanger, “red and gold or green and silver?”


	6. Contemplation

Sirius really wasn’t a fan of riding in the city. There were too many cars that didn’t look twice before merging, too many pedestrians who paid no mind to where the bloody crosswalks were, and the speed limits were actually enforced. He much preferred driving through the highlands--on the backroads that inevitably led him to the Potter’s winter home. It had been years since he had been back--the joint funeral had been a small affair back in India and James hadn’t yet had a chance to get back up to Scotland. 

_ Christmas _ , he thought. Maybe they’d close the shop for a long weekend--Christmas was on a Friday, after all--and make the trek up north to finally close up the house for good. One more winter holiday at Potter Manor would be good for all of them. Closure. That was the word he was looking for. The funeral had helped, as had selling off the house in Cambridge, but the winter home is where the memories truly were.

Sirius shook the thoughts from his head and picked up speed, swerving his baby--the monster BMW R60/2 that he had rebuilt piece by piece while in his final year at Hogwarts--through the masses of people and vehicles that inevitably were out on a Friday night. He was only about ten minutes out from the wine bar if he kept his current speed. 

He allowed his mind to flood with thoughts of Remus, fantasies of how their evening would play out. It had been a long time since Sirius had been on a date--an actual, proper date (picking up a bloke at the club did not count). Hell, it had been ages since he had been that drawn to someone. 

That morning, he had told James that he had met his soulmate. Something in his gut assured him that it hadn’t been an exaggeration or a flight of fancy. That very simple exchange they had over an ordered coffee was more than enough for Sirius to know that this guy was something special. 

He wasn’t just some bloke to take out for a drink, shag in the coat check, and then never speak to again. Remus was the kind of guy that you dressed up for, took out someplace nice, spent time actually talking to them, and didn’t shag on the first date. Remus was someone that you worked for. And something in the few moments of their first conversation had told Sirius that Remus was worth it. 

Sirius hadn’t been to this wine bar before, but his friend Dorcas managed it and the business cards she had left at the shop looked classy, so he had suggested the place. He wasn’t really a fan of dressing up. He much preferred his worn black jeans and faded band t-shirts, but he made the effort. He had been such a nervous wreck after Remus accepted the date that he had Skyped Lily all in a tizzy because James Heterosexual Potter had absolutely zero sense of fashion. 

Learning that Lily knew Remus--well, at least a younger version of Remus--had been a bit disconcerting at first, but he soon got over that block and began trying in earnest to pump her for information. All she would say was that they had known each other from the time they were six to sixteen. He knew that she had been in and out of hospital a lot as a child and that now she was almost religious in meeting with her doctor, but he had never pried. Her medical history was her own business, but for the first time since he’d known the fiery-haired woman, he was curious. 

Sirius was certain that she knew he had wanted to ask that night, but knowing Lily, she would have asked for a bit of quid pro quo and expected to hear something about his childhood in return, and that topic was decisively off-limits. If things with Remus went as well as he hoped they would, the pair would end up talking about everything eventually and all curiosities would be satisfied. 

After parking his motorbike legally-enough in a space across from the bar, Sirius shook out his mane of hair, easily dispelling the helmet hair, and threw it up in an “effortless” messy bun--he had spent ages perfecting the technique. 

As he dismounted the bike, he caught sight of the man: godlike, body carved from marble, and somehow, though no longer clad in a cardigan with elbow patches (swoon) still managed to look like a hot professor. 

Remus must have sensed his presence. As the pair made eye contact Sirius grinned, his heart skipped a beat, and he promptly tripped falling flat on his face.


	7. Head Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack! I am so sorry this update took so long! I lost power last night and the toddler decided that bedtime was for losers. 
> 
> More soon, loves 😘

If this were a movie or some cheesy romance novel, Remus would have dashed across the road like some kind of knight in shining armour to save his true love. If this were a fictional story, Remus would have whipped out a white handkerchief--seriously, only pompous rich arseholes and fictional characters carried around handkerchiefs--and gently, but deftly, cleaned the fresh wound that cut through the man’s right eyebrow and was bleeding heavily. If he were anyone other than Remus Lupin, his immediate reaction might have been one of concern. Unfortunately for Remus, this was real life and his real-life reaction to seeing--quite possibly--the love of his life, the hottest man he had ever seen, faceplant onto the pavement while dismounting a motorbike was laughter.

Remus had always been a bit of a nervous laugher. Great-grandfather’s funeral? Laughter. Finding out his dad had left? Laughter. Watching Hot Barista Sirius Black eat it right before their first date? Laughter. He could admit that he was sometimes a horrible human being, and now was definitely one of those times. Through the laughter, his first thought was,  _ Oh thank fuck, this guy may be hot, but he’s clumsy as hell. At least I won’t be the only awkward one here _ . Followed quickly by,  _ Oh shit, I should probably run over there and help him. _

And unlike in the movies, traffic did not stop for him. Remus had to dodge and weave between vehicles to make it across the street to the wounded man. By the time he reached him, Sirius was sitting on the low retaining wall that separated the businesses from the sidewalk, looking a bit woozy as he tried to staunch the flow of blood with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Shit," Remus mumbled as he sank to his knees in front of Sirius. He took a breath, giving himself a moment to assess the situation. Quickly, he loosened his tie before taking it off and pressing the green and silver fabric against the wound. "Probably not as bad as it looks. Head wounds bleed more. What’d you hit your head on?”

“Bloody paver. Don’t think it’s deep,” Sirius said, a note of embarrassment in his voice. 

Gently, Remus removed the now bloodstained tie to look at the cut. He hummed sceptically, “I don’t know. Might want to get you to an A&E to get checked out. You might need stitches. Think you’re concussed?” 

He was no doctor and had very little medical knowledge outside of that pertaining to the leukaemia he had as a child. Being in and out of hospital growing up didn’t afford much time to the typical injuries of childhood. However, he was fairly certain that Sirius needed stitches. Remus wasn’t quite sure what signs to look for regarding a concussion, but he knew it had something to do with the eyes. The pupils maybe? Sirius was clearly embarrassed by his fall and was looking anywhere but at him. It was dark on the street anyway, and Remus doubted he would have been able to tell anything.

“Nope! No, don’t need a hospital,” Sirius insisted, seemingly uncomfortable. Maybe he was one of those people that had a fear of hospitals. “A butterfly bandage should do the trick,” he continued. “The shop’s not too far from here, we’ve got a first aid kit. I’ll just go. I’m sure you’d much rather—”

“Hey,” Remus cut him off, grabbing his hand. “I’m not letting you go by yourself.”

Sirius blushed, and looked away. “I can’t ask you to do that. I fucking ruined our date by being a clumsy arse and bleed all over your tie—”

“But you’re not asking,” Remus said. “I’m offering. And it’s just a tie. I only wore it because my idiot flatmate thought the green looked better with my shirt. I actually prefer red, so you did me a favour. Besides,” he gripped Sirius’ hand a bit tighter and smiled, “I’d rather just go with you to the shop and make sure you’re okay.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” Sirius said earnestly. “That is if you’re willing to give me another chance.”

Remus smirked, turned in the direction of Padfoot & Prongs Coffee, then threw a wink at Sirius over his shoulder, “Just make me another one of those amazing almond milk lattes and a chocolate croissant. I prefer coffee to wine, any day.”


	8. Stardust

Sirius sat on the counter of Padfoot & Prongs Coffee breathing deeply and trying to calm his racing heart. He was completely lost in the vision before him that was Remus: tall (the man had to be at least six foot), lanky with a quiet strength about him, and the kindest eyes Sirius had ever seen. They were amber in colour, almost like a fine whiskey, the kind he used to break into his dad’s liquor cabinet to steal drinks from. 

He remembered spending hours in his room--before he had run away, of course--admiring how the liquid glinted in the light, how the weight of the glass felt in his hand, and how the drink burned going down his throat. He had loved the numb weightless feeling he had after getting properly pissed; it hadn’t taken much in those days. If his parents ever noticed, they hardly seemed to care. Besides, it came in handy a time or two whenever Walburga and Orion got bored and chose to use their hands instead of their words.

This time, however, looking into amber eyes, he didn’t just feel a false sense of calm--apathy, Effie had called it--he felt at peace. Safe. Safe in a way that he only ever felt around the Potters. 

How was it that after only a few moments that morning and maybe half an hour so far that night, that he felt so wholly seen and accepted? How was it that this man he had known for less than a day, the man who was now standing between his thighs cleaning his wound, seemed like another piece in the puzzle Sirius was building of his home? Even knowing so little about this man, he felt as though they had known each other forever. Like they had known each other intimately in a past lifetime or the stardust they were made of recognized each other from aeons ago, like it had been together before the big bang and had spent lifetimes trying to find a way back together. 

Gently, Remus pressed a butterfly bandage over Sirius’ cut, and the light caress of the man’s fingers brought him back to reality. Remus’ touch lingered a few seconds longer than strictly necessary. He tucked a strand of hair that had fallen loose from Sirius’ bun behind his ear and let his hand trail down the column of pale flesh that was Sirius’ neck before snapping out of his reverie, blushing a little.

“All set,” Remus murmured before taking a step back and disposing of the latex gloves and discarded wrappings of the bandage and disinfectant pad. His cheeks flushed prettily and it took a moment before he was able to make eye contact with Sirius again. 

Sirius grinned, loving that he could pull this reaction from a man who seemed so well put together--although, he had a suspicion that Remus was just as awkward as he was, a thought which made him smile all the more. 

“We should get you some tea,” Remus continued. “You didn’t lose a lot of blood, but you looked kind of pale earlier. Just point me to the kettle and I’ll get it going for us.”

“Oh, no!” Sirius exclaimed, hopping down from the counter. “I believe I promised you an almond milk latte. You’ve already patched up my face, I can get the refreshments.”

Remus chuckled and nudged his shoulder, “You sure? Don’t want you fainting on me. Then I probably would have to call A&E.” His smile faded, however, when he noticed Sirius go a bit pale again.

“Yeah, just don’t like the sight of blood,” Sirius said quickly, bustling over to his pride and joy--other than his bike--the Sanremo Naked Cafe Racer. It was the most expensive thing in the shop and Sirius loved it.

He quickly worked the machine then placed a perfectly brewed latte, complete with leaf coffee art, on the counter in front of Remus before he finished up a lungo for himself. He didn’t really need the caffeine, especially at this time of night, but it was easy to make and he was still feeling a bit unsteady. However, something told him that this would be a problem for Tomorrow Sirius. Tomorrow Sirius had the day off and could sleep in as much as he wanted. Yes, Tomorrow Sirius could deal with the fallout of the inevitable Sleep-Deprived Sirius. Tonight, he just wanted to sit back, drink his coffee, and get to know the gorgeous man in front of him.

From the moment he tripped getting off his bike that evening, Sirius’ plans for a romantic first date had all gone to shit. However, maybe here, in a more relaxed setting, they could start again. With an air of more charm than he felt, Sirius leaned against the counter and took a small sip from his drink. “So, Remus, mind if we start tonight over?”

Remus smiled into his massive latte, beautiful dark eyelashes fanned out against his cheeks. “I’d like that.”

“Great,” Sirius grinned and pushed himself off the counter. He walked the short distance to a two-person table and held out a chair. Remus blushed again but sat down.

“So,” Sirius continued, “tell me about yourself.”


	9. Thank Fuck For Latte Thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends!
> 
> I am so sorry for the delay in posting. It has been a crazy few weeks. My toddler spilt water on my laptop, I went back to the office and dealt with some personal issues. Thank you for your patience. I'm not sure when the next chapter will drop but know that one is coming.
> 
> Sending you lots of love!

The heat from the ceramic mug slowly seeped into his fingers. Remus always ran cold. He couldn’t ever remember being truly warm. But here, sitting in this cafe with Sirius with the best damn latte he’d ever had, he felt a spark in his chest bloom into a fire, warming him from the inside-out. 

His cheeks had begun to ache, he was smiling so much. Sirius was just as charming as he had been that morning and even more so. The awkwardness of the beginning of their evening had dissipated all of the tension he normally felt on a first date. Remus found himself opening up to the man before him like a flower to the rising sun. 

And that’s what he was. Sirius was the sun. His smile, his barking laugh, completely lit up his face. Grey eyes danced with mirth and completely captured Remus’ attention and he finally understood that line in Romeo & Juliet. The coffee in his mug neglected and grew cold as he fell deeper and deeper into those eyes.

He found himself sharing things about himself that not even Peter knew. It was as if the barrier he constantly held up between himself and the rest of the world was utterly destroyed the moment Sirius looked his way.

The clocktower on campus sounded midnight, seemingly breaking the spell of their evening. He felt a bit like Cinderella leaving the ball, except for in his version, Prince Charming walked him out. It wasn’t a rushed mad dash. It was a leisurely stroll that he was loath to let end. He had work in the morning and a veritable mountain of homework. If he wanted to be a semi-functioning adult he needed to get home and sleep. He hadn’t been looking forward to taking a cab or Uber home, but Sirius had insisted on taking him back on the bike. 

Remus would be lying if he said that he wasn’t nervous. However, the thought of sitting that close to Sirius, clinging to the man as they sped through the city streets was thrilling. 

“So, why a vegan cafe?” Remus asked as Sirius locked up the shop.

Sirius barked a laugh and started down the sidewalk. “Most people are more curious about someone like me owning a cafe, not that it’s vegan.”

Remus just shrugged. He had learned long ago not to judge a person by their appearance and though Sirius gave off rebel vibes, their conversation that evening had shown the man to have hidden depths. 

“James is vegan,” Sirius continued. “We’re lucky to live in a place that has a lot of options, but he noticed that there weren’t a lot of cafes that had affordable options. We’ve always worked well together. He’s great with baking and dealing with vendors, I’m good with customers and the books.” 

After a moment, he nudged Remus’ shoulder. “Why almond milk in your latte?”

The fire in Remus’ chest burned brighter. He summoned his courage and grabbed Sirius’ hand, intertwining their fingers. “Food allergies,” he signed. “Quite a few of them, actually. We think it was exacerbated by the…” He paused. Of all the things he had willingly offered up in their conversation, he had not yet broached the topic of his health.

A small smile spread across his lips as he felt Sirius gently squeeze his hand. 

After a moment, he continued, “Did Lily tell you how we met?”

“No, but knowing her and everything she’s been through, I have an idea. You don’t have to talk about—”

“I know,” Remus cut him off. “I had leukaemia as a child. It was pretty shit, to say the least, and it caused other issues. But yeah, I’m healthy now, except for the allergies. So, when that asshole stole my coffee this morning, I was glad to find you all.”

“I’m really glad you found us too,” Sirius murmured coming to a stop in front of his bike and pulling him close. “Thank fuck for latte thieves.” 


	10. The Ride Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, we finally come to our end. 
> 
> Thank you all for joining me on this fun-filled ride.

Remus’ breath was warm against his cheek. They were close. Fuck, so close. All Sirius would have to do was close the millimetre distance between them and they’d be kissing. He wanted those lips on his more than anything else in the world. He watched, entranced as Remus’ tongue darted out to wet parched lips. He wanted that tongue in his mouth, to lick the taste of Remus’ latte right out of the man’s mouth. It would be perfect. Oh, so perfect.

Or it would have been if a group of loud drunken students hadn’t walked by at that exact moment shattering the perfect sexual tension that was brewing between them. Sirius groaned, ignoring Remus’ chuckle and hid his face in the man’s jumper clad shoulder. It was warm and soft, and smelled exactly like Remus--old books, lattes, and a hint of chocolate. Sirius wanted to spend the rest of the night with his face buried right there and maybe his hands wandering the lithe frame beneath said jumper.

Forcing himself to take a step back, Sirius smiled sheepishly then turned back to his bike and removed two helmets from the saddlebags, pressing one into Remus’ hands.

The ride back to Remus’ flat went by entirely too quickly. He had relished the minutes of Remus pressed against his back, arms wrapped around his waist, holding him tighter at each turn. It was like sinking into a warm bath with a steaming mug of tea, calming and relaxing with the thrill of indulgence. Being with Remus was like finally participating in self-care after weeks of self-denial. He could get used to this. He hoped that he would have the opportunity to get used to this.

All too soon Remus was standing on the sidewalk in front of him, handing back the helmet. “I’d invite you up, but my flatmate’s home and he’s a very light sleeper.”

Sirius was sure that Remus was blushing and longed to see that pretty pink flush staining the man’s cheeks. It was sweet, and endearing, and altogether delectable.

“Next time,” Sirius smiled and leaned in, refusing to miss his chance yet again.

Remus’s lips were soft and pliant under his. The man kissed him back hesitant at first, but soon the press of lips against his own turn confident and firm. Remus slowly invaded his space, hands tangling in Sirius’ hair, bringing them closer together, almost chest to chest. Sirius could lose himself in that kiss, but it was late and the wind was picking up. The chill started to seep into Remus’ fingers and he didn't want him to catch cold.

Sirius pulled back slightly, resting their foreheads together, breathing in the same air. “Can I call you tomorrow?” he nearly whispered. 

Remus nodded, “I’d like that.” 

Sirius smiled, allowing himself to once again breathe in everything that was Remus. “Good. Maybe we can get a do-over on our date.”

“I don’t know,” Remus laughed, “I thought it was rather perfect.”

Sirius snorted, “Except for the part where I literally fell for you.” 

Remus blushed again and Sirius couldn’t help but capture the man’s lips in another kiss, soft and chaste and full of promise.

“I rather liked that too. But maybe next time we can keep it figurative.”

Sirius barked out a laugh. “No promises.”


End file.
